Monday, December 24, 2007
Meeting Santa
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Photo Shoot with a Nearly Two-Year-Old
Here are the results of an official attempt at a family picture:
So I found a shot we took on a hayride this past fall. See -- without a wreath in sight, he's as calm as a cucumber. And cuter than ever.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Celebratory Lunch
Monday, December 10, 2007
Changes Afoot
Question: What's different about this picture? (Imagine a pic with me & Cal)
Answer: Calvin's body isn't the only one changing daily.
Mom's belly is growing rapidly with a little one inside. If things progress on schedule, Calvin will have a sibling by the end of June.
Similar to my pregnancy with Calvin, I've been pretty sick. Though this is definitely a different experience with a toddler running around. Laying low or sneaking in a nap is difficult with an active morning and a work-filled afternoon. But we've made it through the toughest part, I think, and we find ourselves, once again, cautiously hopeful for the miracle of new life.
Monday, December 03, 2007
Lipstick Model
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Thanksgiving 2007
Sunday, November 04, 2007
A Perfect Blend
We all piled (comfortably) into a house on Lake Michigan with games and food and campfires on the beach -- delightful! I love weekends away! And though the lake, the yard, and our companions were enough for all of us, it was an afternoon on a farm in Holland, MI was a highlight for Calvin.
Sunny and warm and surprisingly comfortable, our gang thoroughly enjoyed a hayride through the country. I mean, c'mon, we were being pulled by a tractor! For Calvin there were laps-a-plenty and shoes hidden in the hay to untangle.
Calvin was definitely the country kid among this group of city slickers. Seeing a petting zoo on every corner this fall, he's quite comfortable around animals. He'd grab a handful of food and stride up until he was face to face with the sheep. One 'bah-ed' at him and he responded in kind: 'bah!'
If that wasn't enough, this farm boasted a hay maze. Familiar? It's a maze of hay bales fully covered over by more hay bales. This means that you crawl through darkness; enough to turn off more than a few adults. Calvin? Nah. He went through once with Dad, came out smiling, turned on his heels and went back in by himself. He surfaced again quickly,still smiling, and went in again! This continued until we were ready to go. Even then, we had to go in for him. We're thinking about a new theme for his bedroom; anyone know where we can get some hay bales?
Sunday, October 28, 2007
It's Potty Time!
Every 10 days, or so, I'd remember to set him atop it as I drew the bath; hoping the trickling water would inspire ... audience participation. I had been warned that this might take a while, so I wasn't disappointed when it didn't amount to much; and I was thrilled when it did!
Cal didn't do much before the bath but quickly found inspiration afterwards. So after watching our product find its way down the wrong drain a few times, Calvin found himself on his throne straight out of the tub. (dry and wrapped in a towel.)
"All done, Mommy", he told me as I brushed my teeth. "Just a minute, honey", I responded. "Wait until Mommy's done brushing her teeth, please." And then -- there it was -- a trickling of his own.
I didn't respond right away for fear I'd scare him, but I did celebrate afterwards, explaining what he had just done, scooping him up in my arms and sharing the happy dance.
We've continued with a once every ten days routine, not terribly committed to the process, and we're hit and miss with results, as expected. Tonight, however, we had a breakthrough.
After the bath I asked Cal if he'd like to use the potty; he didn't. So we moved to his room to dress for bed. Before he was out of my arms, though, he said, "Uh, Mommy" and pointed to his pants. Back to the bathroom we went. He held it while I fumbled to set up the chair but once he was in place, he let it go. Bulls-eye! He was in control of this process.
This seems like a bit of a breakthrough to me. One that means I might need to get a little more serious about his interest and ability. Should I be more excited about this than I am?
Trick-or-Treat
Calvin didn't help pick out his costume this year, but he was definitely more involved in the holiday. He greeted kids at the door and was excited to dress up and get out there himself.
A hand-me-down costume from Cousin Ava was a natural choice for Calvin. Pooh Bear would go everywhere with Calvin, if permitted, so transforming his own belly to a plush pillow is the best!
We branched out this year, going to four houses instead of just two. Our neighbors love every chance to see Calvin, especially if he's dressed up.
We even took along a plastic candy collector -- we had to, it was a Pooh pumpkin, it matched the outfit. Unfortunately this meant that our neighbors answered Calvin's "tick weat" with something to take home. And he followed in his mother's footsteps -- stripped immediately from the costume, dumped the pumpkin, and started eating.
He hasn't been a big chocolate / candy guy yet, but was pretty excited about M&Ms. We shared the bag so he wouldn't eat the whole thing (a trick I use with his father, too) and he pretty much lost interest when they were gone. We "cheers-ed" the last two to celebrate.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Denver, Colorado
He met some extended family members, including Great Uncle Dwayne and several of Dad's cousins: Linnea, Peter, Andrew, and his wife, Timi.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Fall Fest in Wisconsin
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Little Climber
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Daddy's Tractor
Sunday, October 07, 2007
More Fun With Wil
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Behold, The Naughty Chair
The first time I sat Calvin in his chair, he screamed bloody murder. I got down on his level, told him why he was there and that he would need to sit there until he could calm down. Then I turned around and folded laundry while he wallowed in my betrayal. But after about a minute, he stopped, and I returned to his side (and to his level) for a recap.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Assume The Position
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Bad Dream, Good Night
I picked him up and he quieted right down, put an arm tightly around my neck (with the other holding Pooh) and rested his head on my shoulder. I held him and hummed, "Jesus Loves Me" a few times before deciding to sit down in the rocking chair. Why rush this?
It's a different experience to comfort a 20-month old than it is a baby. For one thing, he's twice the size that he was when we spent nights in this chair, nursing. Now, instead of cradling him comfortably over my shoulder, his knees touch the seat; he kneels over my shoulder! And he's quick to change positions on his own, settling onto my lap as if we were going to read a book ... or as if I was Santa Claus! Still, he's able to find comfort from my touch, and Pooh's, and I'm grateful.
After a while I put him back in his crib, but he wakened and stood up crying. Happy for the chance to comfort and cuddle with him, I offered to lie down with him in Mommy and Daddy's bed. He accepted the offer and snuggled right in with his head under my chin.
Oh. I remember this feeling. I loved snuggling with Calvin when he was just home from the hospital. We had the Moses basket by the bed and I would bring him in with me to nurse at night. It's rare, now, to have any quiet time with him. It's a treat to have him on my lap for a story or to tie his shoes!
Just as I'm getting used to this, he flips like a pancake and his feet are in my face. Literally. His big toe is touching my nose. This is not nearly as lovely at first, but as I remember my connection to these little feet that used to reach out for me from within, I take hold of one and kiss it. Calvin's feet. I love these feet.
Then he's back again, this time lying diagonally from the top right corner to the bottom left. It leaves little room for me, much less for me and Dad, but he settles into a deep sleep here; his hands are open and relaxed, just like Grandma likes them.
I'm not sure how I'll bring myself to move him back to his crib, but I have time to figure that out. I'm not tired, anyway.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Dirty Feet
Okay, so I don't want you to get the wrong idea. Calvin isn't always barefoot and dirty when he's with Grandma. But he definitely has a lot of fun -- with or without shoes.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Weekend With The Girls
A word about creeking: Grandma is a (capital "C") Creeker. She, too, gets her feet into any body of water nearby, as if a life source. So when we learned that we were pregnant with Calvin, we gave her a pair of kid's boots, encouraging her to share this passion with our child. Turns out she didn't have to work hard at this. Calvin finds these boots on his own when he visits Grandma's house, and even puts them on to walk around the house. They might have come in handy for this first creeking expedition if we had thought to bring them along.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Gotta Scoot!
Monday, September 17, 2007
Back to the Farm
When Calvin and I went earlier this summer, it was mostly closed. But now in full swing, they've added a little train, a carousel, and a whole bunch of fall decorations.
Cal went straight for the playground to run around on the big trucks, train, and boat. And from there, he cooed over to the roosters, sheep and goats in the petting area.
But then there was a train whistle ... and we were off to see what it was all about. Cal and Dad did a few laps in the caboose before we found our way to the carousel. Mom got to ride this time.
Then it was time for lunch, and a quick trip through the shop for a sugar and spice donut and a (heavy) jug of cider to take home.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Sir Mix-a-Lot
The ingredients (oatmeal, wheat germ, flax seed, quinoa, brown sugar, flour, nutmeg, and some chopped pecans) don't require precise measurements, especially since I've added half of them on my own, and dry ingredients allow easy clean-up for spillage.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Ahoy, Ye Matey!
In honor of "talk like a pirate day", it was a pirate school party --argh! The invitation was a letter in a bottle, so cute!
This being our first party, I wasn't sure whether Calvin should dress like a pirate before the party, or whether he would don the proper attire as part of the festivities at the party. So I put him in pirate stripes beforehand and was pleased to find that the hosts provided bandannas for all the kids.
The party was pirate school for the kids. They were each tattooed before learning how to speak like a pirate, shoot cannonballs, fish (for ducks), and follow a treasure map for gold!
Calvin was the youngest of the 12 children present. He played each of the games, but a modified version. He wasn't blindfolded while fishing, for example, and he was first in line so he had the best shot. He kept up well, though, traipsing around the neighborhoods and sitting on the ledge with the big kids as they divided the booty.Now we're ready to hit the party circuit, and definitely have some good ideas for our own parties to come!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Big Kid Shoes
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Word Coupling
For example, from his crib one morning, I heard, "Diaper. Pees." (Diaper, please) with a full stop between the two words.
Calvin likes to boss Jake, the cat, around so we hear a lot of "Geek. Down." (Jake, down) as he wanders the house, whether Jake is in the room, or not.
Adding an apostrophe introduces a third syllable. For example, "Daddy. Ss. Soos." (Daddy's shoes) Or "Nalnin. ss. Gook". (Calvin's book).
He hasn't moved on to a three word combo, yet. His attempt at "More juice, please" gets jumbled. All three words, individually, are as clear as crystal. "Moor. Joose. Pees." But strung together, it's "pee pee pees". Go figure.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Struttin' His Stuff
I know that these expressions are just clicks of the shutter and not his intended look, but I can't get over what they've captured.
Friday, September 07, 2007
It's Not Over 'Til ...
Monday, September 03, 2007
Labor Day Weekend with Grammy & Papa
But that was just the beginning. Friday morning meant a trip to see Grammy Great along with Cousin Ava, Uncle Ryan, and GA Deb. The six walked the grounds, lunched in the dining room, and made their way to a nearby zoo-ette. Then home for naps -- and a jump in the crib afterwards!
On Saturday, Grammy, Papa, Uncle Kurt, Aunt Denee, and Cousin Ava gave our little guy a tour of Brookfield Zoo. We caught them here when we called to say good morning and Calvin growled at us. Grammy assured us that he was looking at lions, and wasn't mad at us.Calvin and Ava had a great time together, walking hand in hand and practicing staying in step. Left, right, left, right. ...
Our home church was happy to host Calvin on Sunday morning. Cousin Ava has moved up to the toddler room, now, so Cal joined her and kept up with the best of the big kids without trouble.
Then they were off to the big city to see Uncle Ryan's place. Cousin Ava went too, and even Pooh Bear! A walk along the lake by Montrose Harbor rounded out the afternoon, then the group dined at the restaurant where Cal's parents ate as they announced their engagement to family and friends.
Monday was a great day to be at the Petersen's pool. Our little fish splashed with Papa and his cousin. Then he wrapped up Labor Day with a little manual labor, helping Papa move some plants around the yard.
Grammy and Papa met us at McDonald's to give Calvin back. They showed pictures and told stories of the weekend over ice cream cones. Then Cal climbed back into our car for home. "Home." he said, as we drove away. "Home."
We thought we'd leave Calvin behind while his parents were off for an adventure, but he did us one better. He had a ball with Grammy and Papa. Check these out:
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